Three Days
by Honestly tell me a lie
Summary: She moved away 7 years ago, and they all lost touch. But now he has a three day business trip to Japan, and she's his tourguide. Will three days be enough time?
1. Literally

He touched her soft lips in a weak attempt to quiet her squeals as he dragged her deeper into the woods. The black fabric tied around her eyes defeated any hopes of catching a glimpse of where she was headed; but she didn't care. She felt safe with him.

As the leaves and sticks broke beneath their feet, they moved forward. No one would be out this late at night, maybe Odd, but only to spy on them. How many times had he seen them kiss anyway? Like it came as a big shock to anyone, save Sissi, that they were together. Yet Odd still found it humorous to poke fun at the two, since they still blushed.

Who wouldn't? She was perfect in his eyes, and he was perfect in hers. Infallible to each other, except the times they quarreled, when they would find every misplaced hair on the others head. None of that mattered to them in the long run; they were like any other teenage couple, and more.

When they stopped, he moved in back of her and started kissing trails down her neck. Giggling, she turned around to capture his lips in hers.

"Can you take the blindfold off now, please?"

Moving around her again, he gave one side of the black cloth a light tug. As the fabric drifted to the ground, her eyes shot open.

Literally.

* * *

"Damn it! Whoever invented these contraptions will be sorry." She lazily banged her hand on her alarm clock, attempting to hit the snooze button. She had come home last night and collapsed in bed, fallen asleep almost instantly. The stress of work was adding up, and her life seemed to be going down.

It had been almost 7 years since she had moved to Japan with her family after graduating from Kadic. Now 21, she lived on the 14th floor of the apartment building just fifteen minutes from where she worked. She had thought it was a great deal at the time, and moved in as quickly as possible. That was before she tried climbing the 14 flights of stairs after 12 hours of work.

As for work, she has become an intern in a large business just outside if Tokyo. Not the greatest job in the world, but she had still yet to decide what she wanted to do in her life. All she knew, what that she needed to get out of that house.

That house was the house her mother, father, brother, and now her grandmother and grandfather lived in. Mr. and Mrs. Ishiyama had offered their home to the poor old soles, whose minds were obviously on the edge. Her grandfather had tried to eat her slipper, for goodness sakes!

If she could have, she would have returned to France, and her friends, at any moment. Aelita had told her XANA had been shut down two years ago, but she knew moving away had greatly endangered them all. What could she do?

Oh did she miss them too! For once she was glad she had Odd to make fun of her, Hiroki was the only person in her family with any sense of humor, good or bad. She could still faintly remember the smell of his hair gel when she hugged him goodbye.

Aelita, she missed her curiosity and cheerful attitude. Even on the stormiest days, she'd dance in the rain. She always said she loved the rain drops on her skin. Almost as much as she loved Jerimie, but nothing could surpass that.

Jerimie! Where could the little genius be now? He was always the smartest, running the super computer and all. No one else could make any sense of his chicken scratch notes on the darned thing, and yet he knew it by memory. She only wished he were here now to suggest a treatment for her aching head.

Then there was Ulrich. She missed him the most, by far. He was the heartthrob of the school, the soccer jock, the popular sweetheart. Any girl would have given their heart to him, and he wouldn't take it. Ulrich only wanted one person, he was waiting for her. She was waiting for him, too.

When they finally got together, she moved. They tried to keep in touch with her, the whole gang, but she lost phone numbers in homework, and dropped e-mail addresses in her boss's coffee. Eventually, it seemed she had disappeared.

Yet there she was, slipping on her high healed shoes and giving her jacket one last tug. Still mumbling curse words, she stumbled out the door and slammed it shut, waking the angry neighbors up.

* * *

Sadly, Ulrich was a much more of a morning person. Sliding out of bed, he stretched and made his way to the shower. Everyday was just another day of work, but it was better than nothing. He had money to spend, and once in a while he'd get to go someplace new on a business trip.

Turning on the water and getting undressed, he waited for it to warm up. As he climbed in, he began to remember his days at Kadic. His first C, first D, first XANA attack, and his first love.

His first love, Yumi. The beautiful Japanese girl a grade above him, who fought XANA and saved his butt so many times; he owed her so much. She had loved him too; both admitted their feelings a half a year before she moved away. In the end, it caused him more pain than pleasure to know she loved him, after he lost touch with her 5 years back. The coffee stains from all nighters had smudged the ink in her phone number, and when his computer crashed he had lost her e-mail address. He almost killed himself for not backing up all his data.

As he finished showering and getting dressed, he made his way down the busy streets to his office building. A young boy approached him with a newspaper, but he declined. He would read it on his work computer when he got inside.

As he entered the revolving doors, he nodded at the taller man coming out. He had always been short, but had gained a considerable amount of height during his high school years. Now being close to six feet, he felt much less shadowed by people. The office was busy as always, and Ulrich had to force his way into the elevator.

On the 14th floor (look familiar:o. to lazy to think of anything better.) the elevator stopped, and he stepped out. A few more steps and he entered the door to his office, and set his briefcase down. He turned his computer on, and briefly checked his e-mails. 'A meeting at noon with the boss? That's odd.'

At noon on the dot, Ulrich made his way into his Boss's office, which was considerably larger than his. Before he sat down, he shook the man's hand with a smile and exchanged hello's.

"Ulrich, we would like you to go on a business trip with some of our other men. It is essential that…" Ulrich blocked out an incoming sound at this point, waiting impatiently for his destination.

"…We hope you look forward to it, although you may have a bit of work to do. Your tickets will be paid for, so go on and enjoy your 3 day stay in Japan!"

**First chapter officially done! Hope you like it, hopefully I'll enjoy writing it:P. And last but not least hopefully I'll remember where I'm going with this one /. Read and review, be nice people:. Most likely this will be a short story, only a few chapters. **

**-Aimee**


	2. Life is a Flight of Stairs Or 14

And that when was he told her. It was her latest assignment, be the tour guide for the business men who were coming to do business with her company. They were from France, with some big company she had heard of once while her social studies teacher rambled on about how horrific the economy was.

Did she scare for her assignment? No. she would have preferred to stick to her regular routine, make coffee, rearrange files every-which-way, annoy the boss. Anything would be better than showing four French men around her office building. Did she even know her way around the building herself?

Yumi knew she couldn't plead with her boss, he was a strict man. When he had his mind made, it would stay that way. Unless it had to do with the combination on his safe; he never had trusted his employees

She still had no idea how she would pull this off. Was there a map she could get a hold of anywhere in the computer's data base? She doubted it, if anything her boss would be the one to have a map, and asking him would be the end of her assignment, and her job. She was lucky she had it in the first place, being as inexperienced as she was.

So Yumi went the day mumbling and complaining to inanimate objects about her misfortune, while awaiting certain doom. These men where probably perverts anyway, paying more attention to how low her skirt was cut than anything around the building. When work was finally over, she worked her way through the crowded streets back to her apartment building.

Glancing up the stairs, she grimaced as she took off her high heals. Before her foot landed on the first step, her knees already throbbed.

* * *

He had already packed, double checked to make sure he had three clean pairs of underwear and socks. Was he missing anything? He doubted it. Nearly everything he owned was packed, except the kitchen sink.

With his two bags of luggage near the door, he pulled on a suit. They had to leave fairly early in the evening to get there pretty early in the morning, having about a five hour difference. He could adjust to the jet lag pretty well; traveling the world wasn't new to him.

He had been so many please, he was incredibly lucky. But never had he been to Japan. Ever since middle school he had wondered what it was like. Yumi had always mentioned living in Japan when she was a kid, but what was it like now? Had she moved back when she moved away? Ulrich couldn't remember, but it seemed most likely. Her father had always been looking for work "back home".

He knew he wouldn't get to see her, though. What were the odds? She had moved somewhere in Japan, probably a small town like where they had lived in France. He was headed for a city not to far from Tokyo itself. She could never live there, she hated cities.

He shook his head, and looked at the clock on his nightstand. He was a little bit behind, but could make up the time. They weren't expecting them to be there at 5 on the dot, where they? It didn't matter; they couldn't replace his seat on the plane now.

Popping the trunk, Ulrich loaded his luggage into the empty space. Most men would have golf clubs or his kids backpack in their trunk, but for him it was all empty space. Eventually, he'd have a full trunk, too. Or at least, he hoped.

* * *

He had fallen asleep halfway through the plane ride. The chubby man sitting to his right, that is. All Ulrich could do was hope he woke up before the ride was over, he wasn't sure how much more of the snoring he could take. Although the man to his left was not helping the situation, either.

Matthew. Schmit, had been the man to his left. If there ever was a man who did not believe an action was worth more than a word, it was him. A constant _noise_ had been coming from his mouth since he took the seat next to him, and even the presence of food didn't stop the talking. Ulrich had then decided why the chubby man had fallen asleep, so he did not have to listen to this Matthew. How lucky he was.

Ulrich looked at the screen displaying the further distance, and groaned. Three more hours of torture still awaited him. Was it even possible to survive under these conditions? He didn't know, but he wasn't about to find out. Excusing himself, he made his way to the back of the plane for a trip to the bathroom. A three hour trip to the bathroom.

* * *

By the time she reached the fourteenth floor, she was out of breath. She silently cursed herself for buying the apartment the year before, what a major mistake. As she fumbled with the keys in her hand, she could hear the phone ring from inside the locked space.

"Damn it!" she couldn't find her key, did she have a spare? Yes, but it was in her car. There was no way, she was going back to her car now. Groaning, she looked one last time for the key, digging through her pocketbook.

There it was, in all of its shiny silver glory, at the bottom of her bag. She grabbed it and pushed it into the lock, waiting for the click. With a smile of approval, she pushed the door open and ran to grab the phone.

That was when the answering machine picked up, and whoever was calling hung up as they heard the recorded message. This was just her luck, just her luck. What if it had been one of her friend? Or her boss, for that matter. Leaning against the wall, she let gravity pull her to the floor. With her head on her knees, she cried tear after tear. That was where she fell asleep, high heals still in hand.

**

* * *

AN: If you haven't noticed, I do like the word damn… a lot. So it's finally the weekend, and I'll be off to my moms with my friends, maybe I'll have them write a little, ;D. Read and review, please and thank you!**

**-Aimee.**


	3. Two Hours

He hadn't thought about the other passenger's need for the bathroom before he headed in for shelter. He also hadn't expected there to be a person in there at the time. After being kicked out once for bad timing, he returned to his seat. Was he really that desperate? Yes, but he would have to make due with what he had, an old pair of ear plugs and a blanket provided by the flight attendant.

Before he knew it, the plane has landed and he was in a completely new environment. Where they speaking Japanese over the loud speaker? Of course they were. Where was the translator when you needed him? His fellow workers were not far behind, including Mr. Schmit, and they seemed to be heading for the baggage claim. He had already been, gathered his two bags and staked his carry on neatly at the top. He would have packed a third bag, but figured that may have been too much.

As for the rest of the business men, they were chatting with each other, loudly and obnoxiously. He wasn't surprised, he had never been one to make friends at work. He was considerably younger than most of the other people in his office, being only 20. Fitting in was never a huge problem for him until he left school, and entered the real world.

School, he just couldn't forget the year Yumi moved away. She hadn't told him until the week of her departure, and it ripped his heart in two. Did she ever think about him? He only hoped she did, the memories haunted his mind day after day.

Walking over to his fellow employee's, he cleared his throat to get their attention.

"In case you haven't noticed, we are in a foreign country and speak none of the language what so ever. Does _anyone _know where we were supposed to meet the translator?"

Mr. Schmit stepped forward, and Ulrich inwardly sighed. Of course he knew, he knew everything, and openly expressed it to the world.

"This would be where you tell us where to meet him…" He was gesturing with his hands, and rolling his eyes.

The man made a facial expression indicating he had missed that memo, and began to speak. "I was told, unlike the rest of you, that we were to meet the translator at the front gate at 4:15. But according to my watch it is only 4:12, so we have no need to leave..."

With that, Ulrich was already in the general direction of the front entrance. He dragged his bags close behind him, using the other hand to adjust his watch. Looking back, he could see one of the three men following his lead, the other two pointing to their watches and shaking their heads. He could make out different symbols on the signs above his head, the Japanese characters themselves not making much sense to him.

When he had finally reached the front gates, he could see a woman holding a sign in front of her chest with the name of his company written in large, black letters. She had her face turned away from him, making it impossible for him to recognize the beauty he had once known. Her black suit and matching skirt where pin striped white, her hair tied neatly into a bun. The shoes she wore were only a few inches at most, but by the way she shifted her weight from one foot to another, he could tell she wanted nothing more but to sit down. He continued walking towards her, pulling on his tie and straightening his suit.

Tapping her on the shoulder, he smiled. "Miss, I do believe…" His voice stopped working then, she had turned around. Her warm brown eyes had connected with his, and her smile had dropped into a look of disbelief. His own had resembled hers at the time, and she gasped before putting a hand over her mouth.

"Yumi?"

"Ulrich?"

As if on queue, the rest of the men arrived. Yumi's confused face went blank, as well as her mind. Her limp body fell towards the cold concrete, but never reached the destination.

* * *

She could see a girl sobbing, her ebony hair cascading over her face. The girl was being held by a boy, whose arms were rapped protectively around her back. They never noticed, but there worst enemies, and best friends, were watching from afar. Each word she mumbled was just loud enough for those who needed to hear it to understand, and quiet enough to leave spectators confused. His emotions had finally let go, and tears were now welling from his eyes as well, mixing with hers on the path to the ground.

The loneliness she felt in that moment was unbearable, standing alone watching the scene unfold. Everything was so vivid, each color and sound expressed in a way she could only imagine. The girl, she seemed so familiar. Every aspect of her body, clothing, she seemed to know what move she would make next. How did she know her? A connection she could not make, or understand. The boy as well looked had caught her interest, reminding her of someone she could not place.

Someone was talking to her, whispering in her ear. The voice was steady, but dull. Gradually, it increased in volume, and she could make out each individual word being said. That was when she understood.

* * *

Yumi's ember eyes shot open, and the first thing she noticed was the pain in her head. She moaned and moved her hand to her forehead, where an ice pack had been gently laid. Where was she? Her room, no doubt. Where was she supposed to be?

Work, she was supposed to be at work! Yumi sat strait up at the waist and cringed at the throbbing pain in her head. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was turning around, and..

Ulrich, Ulrich happened. Why was he here, in Japan? Had he been the one who called? No, she couldn't contact him when she moved into her apartment, how could he have her number? Impossible, simply impossible.

There he was, sitting at the edge of her bed, staring at her with wide eyes. She made a point to look away when she noticed his stare.

"I have to go, I have work,"

"I told your boss you weren't feeling well,"

"Well I'm fine now so,"

"You're lying," she glared at him, sending chills up his spine. Venomous, she had always been one to strike when you didn't agree. "You look horrible, I wasn't sure where the Tylenol was, and I wasn't planning on turning the place upside down, but now that you're awake I guess I could find something for you."

She took the ice pack off her head, "How did you know where I lived?" Her voice was timid, softy spoken as if she were afraid to know.

"I asked one of your coworkers, and from there I followed the signs the best I could. You know you should really,"

"Tell the owner to install an elevator." She winced and nodded. Feeling a sudden weight of guilt strike her heart, Yumi apologized for having to be carried up 14 flights of stairs. Ulrich just smiled and shook his head.

"Least I could do. I'm sorry for…making you pass out?" He rubbed the back of his neck, just like he always had. Her heart fluttered, and she smiled back at him.

What could she say? He hadn't changed, he was the same Ulrich she had fallen in love with. Except for the height, "It's, it's fine, I was just surprised. I haven't talked to you in, how many years?"

"Five, five long years. So, how have you been?" This began the 2 hour conversation that would fill the gap of 5 years. She had never realized how lonely she truly was, living on the 14th floor. Her mind was racing with emotions she never noticed existed, her heart had grown wings.

Ulrich was amazed at how she seemed to adapt to her new lifestyle. 14 flights of stairs a day? Even his soccer toned legs couldn't do that. He had never understood how strong she was, in body and in mind. Absorbed in her beauty and intellect, he had forgotten about work. She had forgotten what the word stress meant, for those two hours alone with him.


	4. Seven Numbers

"Are you sure you don't want lunch? I can whip up something quick if you're hungry," Yumi had her hand loosely wrapped around his wrist, hoping he would stay. It was almost noon, and he had gathered his coat to leave. She was stalling, and she knew it.

He smiled, but shook his head, "I really have to get back to work," almost out the door, he turned around. "Hey, I'll give you a call later, okay?" He had his hand on the door knob, his head peaking through the door.

"It's a deal." She closed the door, leaning her full weight onto the wooden frame. As someone opened the door, she stumbled forward.

"Oh! Are you okay? I didn't mean to," Ulrich paused when he noticed her giggling, which turned into a fit of laughter. Puzzled, he could only laugh along. When the commotion finally ended, Yumi had ended up sitting in the arm chair in the other room, and Ulrich had found himself on the loveseat across from her.

With one last giggle, Yumi took a deep breath. "So, why'd you come back?" Ulrich just smiled, and chuckled at his stupidity.

"I didn't get your phone number," his companion made an "oh" shape with her mouth, and took out a piece of paper and a pen. Scribbling 7 numbers onto the paper, she folded it neatly into a paper football and flicked it playfully into his lap. He picked it up, and slid it neatly into his suit pocket.

She stood up and gave him a small peck on the cheek before opening the door for him. His expression turned into a half sided smile, before waving goodbye and closing the door gently. She had half expected him to rush back, but relaxed a bit when he hadn't.

She hadn't felt that way in years! He could make her smile, almost on command. What was it about him that made her so loyal to him like a dog? It must be those eyes, those dark green eyes. Yumi walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Taking a sip, she eased herself down into a nearby chair. Thoughts of elegant dresses and candle light dinners floated around in her head.

Ulrich had climbed into the company rented car, mumbled at the small size, and started back to the office building. It wasn't a long ride, five minutes at the most, but being stopped at every red light added at least five more. He had been going through his cell phone, scrolling past business number and co workers. He stopped as he landed on the oddest of names.

Odd.

Pressing the call button, he listened to the dial tone, and the three rings that followed. After the first half of the fourth ring, an out of breath voice answered in slow gasps.

"Hel..lo…I'm…Here, don't….hang…up." Ulrich chuckled, and smiled to himself. He walked through the revolving doors, déjà vu from the day before. Showing the security guard his badge, he made his way up the two flights of stairs.

"Odd, have you been on one of your svelte routines again?" Ever since middle school he had been taunted, called scrawny. He had always insisted, however, that he was indeed svelte.

If there was such thing as a mental glare, Ulrich was receiving one. "For your information Ulrich, I had left my phone in the living room, and I was down stairs in the basement looking for it when it rang…" there was a long pause. "No matter how stupid that sounds, it makes perfect sense to me."

The brunette snickered, "I'm sure it does Odd, sure it does." Unlocking his temporary office, he turned the handle and stepped inside. Plopping himself down in the computer chair, he put his feet on the wooden desk.

"So, why'd you call? I haven't heard from you in forever."

"Well, I was in Japan and just thought I'd call to pile up the bill with roaming fee's, not to mention long distance." Holding the phone with one hand, he unzipped his briefcase with the other, "Oh, not to mention I saw Yumi today."

There was a slight gasp from Odd's end, before a quick "You saw who?"

"Yumi Ishiyama, she was going to be the tour guide and translator, but she kinda passed out when she saw me." He grabbed his laptop and placed it on the desk. "So I carried her up 14 flights of stairs to her apartment, and waited two hours for her to wake up," Opening the machine, he pressed the power button and waited for it to load.

Odd sighed, "You just had a reunion with the love of your life, and you're complaining?"

"I wasn't complaining Odd, I called to ask for your help," Ulrich was fighting the urge to continue with small talk, he had always hated asking for help. "You see, I want to take her out but-"

"You're too afraid and don't know how to do it. Man, you really need to work up some self esteem. But since I'm such a good friend, I'll help you buddy," Odd, he was still as cocky as ever, "But I'm going to need her phone number first."

Ulrich typed away at his keyboard, snorting quietly and saying a quick "Mhmmm" to his friend before unfolding the paper football. Reading off the numbers, he pressed the send button on the newly written e-mail.

"**Message sent to: know, pretty short, but I've been putting it off for a while:/.Don't hate meeeee. X.X.**

**So yeah, read and review please:P. A new one shot –may- be coming, not sure. I started it, but didn't like where it was going. No promises, people. **


	5. Phone Calls and Emails

**Okay, so here's chapter five! Sorry for the long wait/. Read and review please!

* * *

**

Odd tapped his pencil on the blank piece of notebook paper on his desk. What to do, who to call. Had Ulrich called Aelita and Jerimie? He better call, just to make sure…

Picking up the purple phone, he searched his desk for the sticky note with their number. Grinning as he dialed the digits, he listened for the dial tone. It rang once, twice, "Hello?"

"Jerimie! Old buddy old pal! You don't happen to have that voice changer, thingy, you used on Jim that one time, do you?"

* * *

She stared at the phone impatiently, taping her fingers on the table top, and fidgeting with her hair. Her dark coal eyes shifted to the clock, to watch the second hand tick by lackadaisically (AN I felt like using a big word there, for no reason, doubt I even used it in the right context, xP.), and with every movement the minute hand, she flinched. She sighed, and laid her head on the table. Had he forgotten her number? Lost it in his office? 

She rose from her chair impatiently, moving over to pour herself a cup of coffee. Lazily, she took a sip, leaving red lipstick on the rim of the mug. Why was she all dolled up anyway? It wasn't as if he were to show up at her door, ask her out on a date.

Than the phone rang, and she nearly spilled her coffee as she lunged for the receiver. "Hello?"

The person on the other end of the line cleared their throat, "Yumi?"

* * *

"Yumi?" Odd was holding back the urge to laugh, he really did sound like Ulrich. This could seriously come in handy. 

"Ulrich! Sorry, I ah, wasn't expecting your call." Her voice was ecstatic, bright and cherry. Odd felt a pang of guilt, never the less continued, 'It's for the greater good.'

"Hey, I was just wondering if you were interested in coming to dinner with me tonight. You pick the place!" He could hear a quiet squeal, and once again strained not the laugh.

Regaining her composure, she quickly exclaimed "Yes!" into the phone, trying not to sound too anxious.

Odd smiled, this was going exactly as planned.

* * *

**Message sent to: Jerimie Belpois**. Ulrich smiled, he would never believe this! A part of himself didn't even believe what was happening, but he knew better than to wake up in the middle of a good dream. 

He was off focus now, after all he did still have work to do. With little effort, he began slowly beginning the project due the week he was due to return. His eyes darted to the side bar as a new email popped up.

Silently cheering for the interruption, he opened the file and began to read the letter.

_Subject: Re Jer you will never believe  
__Date: 7/11/  
__From: Jerimie Belpois  
__To: Ulrich Stern_

_Wow! Ulrich, if I may say so myself, you are one lucky guy. How is she? I hope she didn't hurt herself too bad when she fell. 14 flights of stairs too? I can't imagine how someone could do that everyday. _

_Now, here's the important thing; have you asked her out? Ulrich, this is the chance of a lifetime! You only have three days in Japan, make them worth it! _

_How are Aelita and me? We are doing swell! We're still married, Ulrich, don't worry about that, I just haven't had much time for chit-chat with the new baby! His name is William, we didn't want anything too over the edge. He's almost two years now, 22 months old, and boy do we have our hands full!_

_Oh, and by the way, Odd gave me a call not too long ago, asked me if I still had that good old voice changer of mine. I told him yes, and he came over and made a call to someone, although to whom I am not sure. Not quite sure if this has anything to do with your situation, but I'd say if Odd knows about Yumi, there's a good chance it does._

_Keep me posted!_

_Jerimie_

He read the last paragraph with wide eyes, and mumbled a barely audible "Oh shit," just seconds before his office phone rang. 

"Ulrich, old buddy old pal! I called," Suddenly he stopped, getting the feeling of daggers being sent through the phone, "So, uh, you already heard."

Ulrich was less than pleased, "Oh yeah Odd, I heard, from Jerimie actually, and I'd like to know who exactly you chose to call."

The voice on the other end of the line chuckled in fear, "I, erm, called Yumi and I got you a date, buddy!" Ulrich calmed down, 'He asked her out for me, okay. This can't be too bad.

"Ulrich, I kinda used the voice changer Jerimie had to make me sound like, erm, you?" That was a mental slap for the brunette, why hadn't he put the pieces together and figured it out? Was he that stupid?

"Odd," His voice was angrier than the purple haired boy had ever remembered.

Quickly putting as much information in a sentence as he could, he spit out the details, "Youaregoingtomeetherat7shepickstheplace!" With that he hung up, leaving Ulrich to decipher what he said.

Tapping at his keyboard, Ulrich was running out of patience. Why wasn't work over yet? He sighed, only 3 more hours of this, this torture. Then he had one hour to get to his hotel, get changed, and make his way back to Yumi's apartment. 

Today was looking just grand.

* * *

Sighing, Yumi looked through the menus spread out on her kitchen island. Where to go, what to eat! She doubted Ulrich was into sushi, pushing that piece of paper aside, she stared at the other four. Assuming he would rather be somewhere the waiters spoke English, she discarded all but one. Laughing at the McDonald's menu in front of her, she retrieved the other three from the floor. 

"Lets go for something a little more classy this time, Yumi."

* * *

**So, the long awaited, pretty bad chapter is finally posted! Sorry for the long wait, I've been very distracted lately, and today I just had the urge to write…and write…and write some more!**

**Read and review, please. If I can reach 50 reviews…I'll be very happy, but I highly doubt that, xP. **

**Too bad I don't know Japanese,  
****Aimee**


	6. Keys

**Okay, so here is the deal:**

**I haven't updated in a VERY long time, and for that I apologize. Secondly, it is a VERY short chapter as well, and for that I also say I'm sorry. I just started High School, and lost almost all inspiration at the moment. Or I had.**

**I'm not discontinuing the story, or putting it on hold, just saying that updates will be very spread out for a long, long, time.**

**My apologies, **

**Aimee**

The steady hand outlining her perfect brown eyes twitched as the phone rang. She grunted in frustration, reaching for the phone and pressing the talk bottom. "Odd, damnit! The day I get caller ID will be the best day of my life! Now do me a favor, stop calling and maybe I will forgive you." In one hurried breath, her sentences rambled into each other, slurring words together to make her point across before regaining her air supply.

The man on the other line awkwardly spoke, "Uh, Yumi? It's me, Ulrich, and I," A gasp later, she continued.

"Ulrich! I am so sorry, it's just Odd has been calling me, and I just thought it was him, you know? Everything three minutes,"

"Every three minutes?" He interrupted; she gave him a quick "Yup!", and let her continue.

"So yeah, if you aren't up to the dinner tonight, than I totally understand," she mentally slapped herself. She wanted this more than anything, well, anything but a plain ticket back to France. Oh, and a new job, or apartment, something a little closer to the ground, maybe?

He chuckled, "No no, I'm planning on going if you are. In fact," she heard a knock echo through the small rooms, "I'm here."

Wide eyed, she squealed and hung up the phone. Quickly washing the smudge mark the eye liner had made on her eyelid, she threw on a coat and rushed out the bedroom door.

Slipping on her nicest pair of heels, so shuffled to front hall. Straightening out her dress, she gracefully turned the doorknob, took two steps backwards, and smiled the smile she had been practicing for two hours. 'Not too much teeth Yumi, not too much teeth.'

With a laugh, he started "Happy to see me?" Her smile went away, and she blinked a few times, pinching her arm, so mumbled "Too much teeth" and smiled again.

He took her hand, leading her out of the door and releasing it when she tugged away to lock the door. After turned the knob once, just to make sure, she returned her hand to his, as they began descending the stairs.

Before they had reached the 10th flight, Ulrich froze. Cussing, he banged his head against the cement walls. Confused, Yumi tapped him softly on the shoulder, "Ulrich?"

"Mhmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Slamming my head against the wall."

She rolled her eyes, "I see that," growing impatient, she added, "Why?" After a long pause, Yumi cleared her throat.

"Okay, okay!" he groaned, swallowing hard. "I locked the keys in the car."

**Oh! And I do update my profile every once and a while. Yuo can check that to see if there is anything new I've got in store. Doubtful though:(. So, review, please! I know it was short. Too short, x.x.**

**Aimee**


	7. Fish

**AN: First, I'd like to tell everyone I will be editing a few mistakes I made in the story so far (I need to start paying more attention to numbers, because according to what I have written, Yumi and Ulrich sat through like, 4 hours of silence after she woke up from passing out. Haha!) **

**Secondly, woohoo! Chapter is DONE and updated and wow, I'm happy. Haha, it's amazing how writing makes me so happy. :) So read, and tell me what you think, alright? **

She took a moment to ingest the news, "Alright, that's alright," She laughed, "I can dig out a cook book from somewhere, and we can make ourselves something. Of course, it won't be gourmet, but well."

"Deal," he smiled, and took her hand again, leading her up the stairs. The click of her shoes on the linoleum steps filled the silence between the two. Ulrich, desperate for conversation, blurted out "Don't those shoes kill your feet?"

Yumi giggled, "Only after a 12 hour work day, and all fourteen flights of stairs," Turning her head to face him, she inquired "Why?"

He smirked, "Well, I've always wanted to buy a pair for myself, I could use a few more inches." He stood on his toes to prove his point, only becoming an inch or two taller than his companion. She let out a frustrated sigh and took her shoes off.

"Happy?" Now, he had a good four inches on her. Ulrich nodded, and came down off his toes.

"Very."

"Good," She laughed, lookoing back down at her now bare feet. Once again, silence overtook the two. What hadn't they covered in the conversation earlier that day? There wasn't much they hadn't covered. Jobs, friends, Xana, relationships, was there anything left? Her mind raced for an idea to break the silence.

She didn't have to think much longer before they reached her door. Fishing through her purse for her key, she reminded herself to put it back on the key ring with the rest of them. Looking over her shoulder, Ulrich reached in and grabbed the silver key, "Looking for this?" He asked, as he quickly opened the door, holding it open as she stepped inside.

She smiled at him, "Thanks." Looking around, she was glad she cleaned up. "Make yourself at home, I've got to find a cook book," she began rummaging through a bookshelf, "but I'll call you over when we've got something to cook. Any preference?"

"As long as it's not raw fish, I'm good," He pretended to gag jokingly.

"Your loss!" She picked up a book, flipping through it quickly. "I don't think I've ever looked at this old thing before," Yumi could hear Ulrich chuckle, "Hey, don't laugh, I'm sure you didn't pay attention during cooking class either."

After he entered the room, he stood behind her, looking over her shoulder at the book. "Nope, in fact, I think I failed it the first time through." He pointed at a word on the page, "What's a smidgen?"

By the puzzled look on her face, Ulrich could tell she had no clue either. "I think it is somewhere between a pinch, and a dash, but I _really_ don't know." **(an: and who can blame her! I sure as heck don't.)** Frustrated, she closed the book. "The way I see it, we've got two options. A. Order pizza and make the delivery guy walk up 14 flights of stairs, or B. We make pasta."

Raising his hand to his chin, Ulrich pretended to look in deep thought, "The first idea sounds like fun, but I think we should go with option B."

"Good choice." She smiled, bending down to open a cabinet door and take out a pot. "Be a dear and get the spaghetti out of the pantry for me?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Be a _dear_? You're starting to sound like my mother," she flushed, and he grinned. Opening the door, he took out the box and handed it to her.

"Sauce?" Yumi held out her hand once more. Handing her the bottle, he turned the burner on. He added a dash of salt to the water in the pot, and pulled a stool over to the counter. "Don't sit there and stare at it, or it'll never boil."

Lazily, he shook his head, "You believe that kind of stuff?"

Nodding, she took out a smaller pot for the sauce, "It was one of the few things my mom ever taught me about cooking," she smiled, "So I'm bound to believe it."

"Too bad your mom can't cook for us," he put a piece or raw spaghetti in his mouth, "I remember when she made us that pick-nick once," biting a piece off, he continued, "that had to be the best food I've ever digested before. Minus the sushi."

As the water boiled, she put the noodles in, "What has sushi ever done to you?" she side tracked to send him a questioning look, with one hand placed delicately on her hip.

Mimicking her position, he jutted his hip to one side, "It forgot to swim away."

"Not a big fan of fish, I'm guessing?" Yumi pulled a stool over and sat across from him. He shook his head, "So no fish at our wedding, then?"

Immediately, her eyes opened wide, and her face flushed a dark magenta, "I mean, you're wedding. There won't be fish at your wedding." He smiled wide, and got up from his stool, walking past her to pot, where the water has begun to boil over. Turning down the heat, he stirred it a little.

In a quiet voice, he said "Not unless you want fish on the menu, Yumi."

**AN: Yay! Press the review button and make me real happy, okay? I need it right now, lmao. Boy is life stressful! Thank you for reading! **

**Aimee **


	8. Dirty Dish Water

**AN: I'm skipping over the dinner conversation, because well, I'm just not that creative. And plus, how boring would it be?**

**And, I'm sorry for the long waits. My grades have been suffering and I feel like I left out on a hard spot to continue on from last chapter. Alas, I shall make it work!**

**-"…"- other person on the phone. Just so you know. If that made any sense.**

"So," she reached into the soapy water and retrieved the sponge she had been washing dishes with, "isn't it ironic?"

He cocked his head to the side to look at her, using his left hand to place the dish he had been drying on the counter, "That I locked the keys in the car? I guess you could look at it that way."

Yumi could feel him tugging on the plate she had held out for him to take, "No, I mean that you ended up here, seeing me for the first time in 7 years," She smiled, "and on these circumstances."

"True," he chuckled, "But better these circumstances than none at all." She released the plate for him to take. At the very second the hand towel connected with the wet plate his cell phone began to ring. Fishing it out of his pocket, he checked the caller ID.

"It's Odd." He searched Yumi's face for a reaction, "I'm picking it up," slowly, the brunette began counting to three.

At two and 3/5, Yumi's hand grabbed his wrist, "Let me do it," She had a devilish grin on her face, "Please?" He handed the phone over to her, letting his hand linger for a few seconds as it touched hers.

She cleared her throat after he let go, trying to push the blush from her face. Gently, she pressed the answer button, "Hello, you've reached the Tokyo mortuary, you kill 'em we chill 'em, you stab 'em we slab 'em. How may I help you?"

The pair could almost hear Odd's jaw drop on the other end of the call. "I think I have-" he paused, "Wait, is that you Yumi?"

A long silence echoed over the room as Yumi racked her brain for something to say. A series of "Uhms, uhs and ers" escaped her mouth, but nothing more. In an attempt to save the conversation, Ulrich retrieved the phone from her.

"Odd, what do you want?" His voice was stern, "Weren't you the one who set this whole thing up to begin with?" Yumi looked over at Ulrich, suddenly very confused. Discreetly, she began to eavesdrop.

-"I was just calling to see how things were going. I thought you would have screwed up by now."-

Ulrich whispered "excuse me for a minute" to Yumi, who nodded. As soon as he left, she turned the corner in time to watch him close the door to her apartment. Curious, she leaned against the door. Unfortunately for her, his voice was too muffled and became incomprehensible.

Disappointed, she rounded the corner and continued to wash the saucepan. Thoughts kept running through her mind, what were they talking about? Was it that important that he hand to interrupt their date? Or even, was he just creating and excuse to get out of the date?

A few minutes later, Ulrich returned, his phone placed back in his pocket and a smile on his face. "Thanks for excusing me, Odd was being an idiot."

Without turning her head to look at her date, she sneered "Oh, is that all?"

Bewildered, Ulrich responded, "What do you mean?"

"When we were together before, you never minded Odd being an idiot." Her forehead was wrinkled in frustration.

He turned her chin towards him with his pointer finger, "We were teenagers, and it was expected of him then. Now, it's just a pain." She forced her head away from his gaze, "Yumi, what's wrong?"

She glared at him, "What did you mean, 'Weren't you the one who set this whole thing up?' Did you not want to be here tonight, or something? Ulrich, if you don't like me, you don't have to pretend to. It's just going to hurt me more." Her eyes began to water, "You know what, Ulrich, just leave. Please, just leave."

An expression of helplessness covered his face, "Yumi, but, I didn't mean that! It's just he called here- Oh Yumi, I can explain the whole thing." She pushed him away when he attempted to embrace her.

"Just leave, I don't want to hear it, Ulrich." In rage, she stormed into her bedroom, slamming and locking the wooden door. In vain, he trudged towards the looming front door.

--

Inside her bedroom, the raven haired woman collapsed onto her bed, grasping a pillow to soften the sobs which seemed so loud to her. As soon as she heard the click of the front door closing, her sobs quieted. Weary, she opened the bedroom door and peered around the lonely space.

Shaken, Yumi stepped out into her apartment. The water still leaked out of the faucet on the kitchen sink, and it had started to overflow onto the floor. As she examined it closer, she could see something black under the flow of falling water. When she picked ti up, rage once again boiled up inside of her stomach.

With all the strength in her body, she threw the item across the room, letting it hit the tile wall and shatter. Amazed, and somewhat frightened at what she had just done, she retrieved the pieces of the phone, placing them in a pile on the dry counter.

"Oh god, what have I done?"

**AN: I think Yumi is pretty OCC in this chapter, I don't think she's the type of person who would think so un-rationally. But, it flowed from my fingers like water off a sink…**

**Also, I don't think it's very well written, I've been rushing it (since my grandma wants me to go shopping with her, blah.) Hopefully it's not too awful. I didn't proofread it, so there will probably be a bazillion mistakes. Sorry, (.**

**Aimee**


	9. Coffee

**AN: I forgot to mention how the cell phone got from Ulrich's pocket to the counter…heh. Let's forget I even mentioned that/. **

**Sorry for the long wait, hectic summer, believe it or not. Hope you enjoy!**

In a panicked frenzy her fingers tried to place each piece of plastic back in its place, which failed miserably of course. Tears began welling up in her eyes, but she managed to push them away. 'He deserved it,' the same thought tried to penetrate her guilt, but she couldn't bring herself to believe he did, in fart deserve it have his cell phone, possibly his only link to friends, family and maybe even work in this foreign country, destroyed.

Frustrated, Yumi parted herself from the futile task of placing the remnants of his phone together and walked into her bathroom. She turned the handle on the sink to cold, and let the water cascade through her fingers. After a good portion had pooled inside her hands, she jerked her arms towards her body and held her breathe until the icy liquid collided with her skin, and let out a hum of relief as droplets began to drip off her chin and role past her collarbone, disappearing beneath her dress. Fatigue suddenly overcame her, and while her eyelids began to droop she made her way into the bedroom whispering a quiet "I'm sorry," to any soul who would listen.

* * *

Cursing with every step, Ulrich made his way down to the bottom floor of the apartment building, gently rubbing his knees before taking his first steps on a flat surface. He found himself groaning as he remembered why they hadn't gone out that night. A mix of anger and disappointment ran through his body as he searched for the nearest bus stop. Women always complicated things. 

A breezy chill climbed up his spine as a silent breeze mussed his hair. Thoughts ran together inside his head, one running into the next before it could finish being thought. He let out a sigh as he leaned up against the bus stop sign. 'Can't we just go back to high school?' He found himself chuckling at the thought. Oh how weird high school had been! Fighting in lyoko, raging hormones, going back in time and doing things the right way. Why couldn't he just call up Jeremie and ask for a redo? Wait- why didn't he?

Amazed at his brilliant idea, Ulrich fished around in his pocket for his cell phone, only to realize with a large amount of humiliation, that it wasn't there. He looked up to find a small group of people boarding the bus, and swore once again. 'Damn it, Yumi!" Before the doors closed, Ulrich reached for the handrail and hoisted himself up the steps. He paid the fee and plopped his body down into the seat behind the driver. A few minutes later, the bus came to a halt and let a couple off, and he couldn't bring himself to look at their smiling faces. Things never went right.

Shortly afterwards, Ulrich stepped off the steps of the bus and onto the concrete in front of his hotel, muttering "I'm so screwed," as he walked through the doors. Lethargically, he wandered into the abandoned elevator and pressed the door close button, ensuring a short ride in solitude to his room

* * *

With the least amount of enthusiasm possible, Yumi's hand flopped down on the snooze button and slid roughly to the side of the bed. She groaned and forced her face deeper into the feather pillow, trying to block out the first glimpse of daylight that peeked in through the bay window. As soon as she felt herself drift into sleep, the noisy beep returned and she forced her feet to slide onto the floor. Shivers shot down her spine, making the hairs on the back of her neck stick up on end. Goosebumps protruded from her soft skin and she crossed her arms and embraced herself, wishing she could share his body heat instead of relying on her own. 

As the memory of the pervious night flooded back to her she groaned, and placed her head in her hands. How was she ever going to fix this? Her head suddenly began to ache with the guilt of ruining the evening, and his phone. Struggling, she lifted herself out of bed and made her way to the shower, trying to mentally prepare herself for the day ahead.

* * *

Putting on his game face, Ulrich strutted into his office, slamming his briefcase down on the floor and sitting down stiffly in his chair. An automated voice chanted "You've got mail" at him from the speakers sitting at either side of the desktop computer the company had supplied. All work emails, and spam from some dating site he joined up for a year and three months earlier. He sighed in disappointment, hoping to have seen an apology- or even a sign to show Yumi was even talking, thinking about him. 

Nothing. In one quick movement he opened grabbed his laptop and set it in front of the desktop computer, booting it up and sitting impatiently hunched over the machine. Surely she hadn't know his work address, there was still hope.

The browser opened, and to his surprise, no automated voice greeted him. Trying not to be too distraught he closed to PC and placed it back in his drawer. It looked like he had to be the man at the moment. Not that he wasn't a man or anything; he was just hoping maybe she'd take responsibility…

The rambling in his head stopped as someone knocked softly on his door. Glad to have a distraction, he cleared his throat "Come in." Without warning his voice cracked, making it sound as if he had returned to high school after all. Once again he cleared his throat and watched the door creak open.

"Sir, I was just wondering if you wanted some coffee," the voice reached his ears before the woman stepped inside the office. He was alarmed to hear her voice, and at the same time relieved.

He placed his hands on his desk, "Yumi?" the chair he was seated in moved backwards as he lifted himself to his feet, "Look Yumi, I just wanted to say…"

Obviously annoyed she cut him off, "Sir, would you like some coffee or not?" She didn't move from her place adjacent to the door, "I'm afraid I have places to be, sir."

Ulrich could not believe what he was hearing, "Listen. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for last night, I didn't mean anything when I said that to Odd on the phone, it's just a long story and-"

"I have places to be." Yumi walked over to his desk and placed the mug down, pouring the liquid up to the brim, "I hope you like it back, we ran out of sugar and cream after Mr. Schmidt's conference." Without hesitation she spun around and walked out of the door, trying her best not to slam the door on the way out.

* * *

On the other side of the door, Yumi couldn't make herself take the first step. Why was she being so immature about the whole thing? She bit her lip and tried to gather up the courage to turn back around, "Yumi, come on. He has some sort of explanation, you might as well give him a chance to try and explain," She began thinking outloud. 

"Oh please!" She laughed at herself, "He was the one being rude. He left your date to talk to Odd."

"Well, then you should be mad at Odd, not Ulrich. It'd be his fault for calling when he obviously knew Ulrich was on a date"

"Ulrich could have said no."

She blushed as she heard a voice come from behind her, "I think you should let Ulrich explain what happened, because it was Odd's fault, well most of it. He sounds like a decent guy, and he told me he really wants to apologize for interrupting your date." She turned around and looked up at Ulrich's face, looking deep into his honest eyes.

Stunned, she pushed a few strands of hair behind her right ear, "Ulrich should make it quick, because I've got places to be," she crossed her arms and tried not to laugh at how tense the situation was. Following his lead, she stepped through the doorway once again and shut the door behind her, leaving a stray coffee pot in the lonely hallway.

**AN: Thanks for reading, ) What'd you think? Looking forward to the next chapter? Review away! **


	10. Shy by Nature

**Not sure I like this chapter, kinda just one of those in-between chapters that have to get done. I hope you like it, though. In a few places Ulrich is a little OCC, I think. Apologies in advance.**

"Jer told me Odd asked him for the voice changing machine, and then I knew something was up. It never clicked in my head that he was going to call you and pretend to be me- but I was glad he did." He paused to take a breath, "I had called him earlier and told him I need help, to, oh you know, ask you out-" He leaned his body weight on his left leg, which rested on the sole piece of solid furniture in his office. A small dust of red appeared on his face as his right hand ran nervously through his hair. The mug full of coffee lay cupped in his left hand, still full with the black liquid.

Having calmed down a bit, she interrupted his rambling, "You never did get over that problem, did you?" She smiled at him, inviting the already obvious response.

As if the conversation hadn't been awkward enough, he looked down at the wooden desk, "No, not really. Haven't had much practice," he admitted. She shot him a look of disbelief, which made him grin, "You forget I'm shy by nature." Remembering his mission to explain last night's situation, he continued "So Odd called me during our date, and just 'wanted to check up' and make sure I hadn't screwed up, and of course I was angry he interrupted the date, so I asked him why he'd call if he knew I had plans." He shifted his eyes back to her face, "That's where the 'Weren't you the one who set this whole thing up to begin with' line came from." She nodded and swiveled slightly in Ulrich's computer chair.

"So, you're blaming this all on Odd?" her voice came off a little snappy, and his face fell a little. "Not that he didn't do anything wrong, it was rude of him to lie to me and you, let alone interrupt our date." Guilt convinced her to give him some credit, having the guts to have this conversation with her. Yumi remembered his broken phone and bit her lower lip softly.

Noticing the thoughtful look on her face, he took the opportunity to drop the bomb, "Do you forgive me, then?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it before her initial thoughts could escape. "It depends, do you forgive me?" Her voice was timid, and she spoke quickly in an attempt to fool him into vainly saying yes.

It failed, and with out hesitation he questioned her, "For what?" He furrowed his brow, eyes connecting directly towards hers.

She cursed herself for throwing the question out there, "Well, the dishes, and water… and you left your phone, sink overflowed, it got a little wet," her voice diminished to a whisper, "I threw it at the wall, it broke," she gulped.

"You destroyed my cell phone?" His voice ranged a few octaves as the sentence was spoken, a look of shock plastered on his face.

Feeling even guiltier than before she tried to offer an excuse, "Ulrich, I was angry and I didn't know what I was doing," her eyes pleaded with him, "I'm so sorry." She stood up from the leather chair and moved around the desk to try and bargain with him, "I know it was stupid and you need it, I'll pay for you to get a new one," she leaned close to his body, which was now leaning on the desk, both feet planted firmly on the floor.

He diverted his eyes from hers, "How could you- why would you?" the hand on his desk slowly turned into a fist, "That phone had my work schedules on it, it had all my numbers," he looked back at her, "How am I supposed to get all those back? For –blanks- sake, it even had that text you sent me-" the sentence ended abruptly, his eyes connecting again with hers, "the day you left."

Her arms lifted from her sides, trying to embrace him, "Oh Ulrich, I can't believe," he pushed her away, "Ulrich, I know you're mad, but," In the process of backing away, her arm brushed into his, knocking the coffee cup over. The hot liquid spilled over the edge of his desk, splashing onto the carpet and pooling at their feet.

Deep brown eyes invaded her mind, "I can't replace that." A deep breathe and a sigh later, his eyes left hers.

"Why would you need to, I'm here- here _with _you," she tilted her head to the right and challenged his eyes, "and I'm sorry, again." Silence echoed in the room, "Can we give this one more try?"

Suddenly, Ulrich snatched his hand off the desk, "Oh, crap!" He searched his office for something to soak up the spilt drink. Yumi rushed into the hall way, searching for the nearest janitors closest, and reappearing with a rag. She knelt down, dabbing the cloth on the carpet.

Not noticing that his companion had already began the clean up, he bent down. In the process, the two heads collided, leaving both of them stunned for a moment. "Ouch," Yumi held the back of her head, squinting to compensate for the throbbing pain, "Why is it every time I'm around you, my head gets hurt?" Her soft eyes located his, no longer having to peer through squinted eyes.

With a smile competing to win over his face he knew his answer, "Only because I'm such a nice guy."

Yumi scoffed, "What ever happened to you being shy by nature?" with one eyebrow raised she stared intently at him.

He stared right back, "Nature left on a coffee break," he smiled sheepishly at her, "ego had to take over for a few minutes."

Without thinking, she laughed, "Alright, I have to get back to work." After noticing the distance between herself and the brunette, she coughed and stood up slowly, "I'll see you after work."

Ulrich caught her hand, "Don't worry about the cell phone, by the way." She nodded and smiled, waving goodbye and exiting the room. She bent down to pick up the coffee mug, remembering that his coffee had spilled.

"Do you need more coffee?" She peeked through the still open door.

Looking down at the mess the two had made, he shook his head, "No thanks, I think I'm good." The door sluggishly closed, and he returned to his computer chair. He opened his work schedule, and blocked out the last two hours of his work day for a "meeting" with the intern.

If his boss asked, they were discussing a possible interior renovation of the cooperate offices- over coffee.

**So, you probably don't get why he's going to talk to her about that. I mean, he's on a business trip, after all. Hey wait! What did he come to Japan for? You'll find out in the next chapter- the date! The actual date. No fighting, I promise. Fluff. :)**

**Aimee**


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